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This chapter looks at the development of art cinema in Scotland, from the painstaking first shoots of creativity in the works of home-grown director Bill Douglas in the 1970s through the flourishing of internationally recognised auteurs like Peter Mullan, Lynne Ramsay and David Mackenzie in the 1990s to the establishment of the Advance Party Initiative, a coproduction agreement between Scotland and Denmark that led to the Cannes Grand Jury Prize winning Red Road (2006). Understanding this history entails a discussion of exactly what art cinema is, which involves understanding both the art...

This chapter looks at the development of art cinema in Scotland, from the painstaking first shoots of creativity in the works of home-grown director Bill Douglas in the 1970s through the flourishing of internationally recognised auteurs like Peter Mullan, Lynne Ramsay and David Mackenzie in the 1990s to the establishment of the Advance Party Initiative, a coproduction agreement between Scotland and Denmark that led to the Cannes Grand Jury Prize winning Red Road (2006). Understanding this history entails a discussion of exactly what art cinema is, which involves understanding both the art film's aesthetic characteristics and its relationship to the global marketplace. This chapter examines Young Adam (2003) to explore the strategies for international success on the film festival circuit and the independent cinema networks currently pursued by Scottish filmmakers like Mackenzie. Finally, the chapter assesses the differences between Young Adam and Red Road and suggests reasons why the latter was a greater success internationally, and the impact this is likely to have on the Scottish art film in the future.